Novelists, Meet Filmmakers. Filmmakers, Novelists

By R.S. Mellette

Right now, there seem to be two schools of production in Hollywood – those companies that make movies based on short stories or novels, and those that don't. I haven't run the numbers, but I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the first group is doing a lot better than the second.

The companies making films based on published properties tend to be either major studios or mid- to upper-end independents. A few of these companies started as uber-indies and were smart enough to acquire published work, and are now playing in the big leagues. Temple Hill with the Twilight series comes to mind.

But most uber-indie production companies don't mess with published works. I know this because I've been a screener and/or programmer for the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles since 2001. I can't tell you the number of submissions I've screened where I think, <em>why did the filmmakers decide to tell THIS story</em>?

I'm also a novelist. I have novelist friends all over the world who have wonderful stories they've told on paper. They would love to see these works made into films, but they’re completely baffled by the filmmaking community.

This article is intended to help both sides bridge the gap, meet each other, and hopefully work together on mutually beneficial projects.

I'll start with the filmmakers:

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to think long and hard about why you chose filmmaking as a career. Deep down in your soul, is the answer to that question, "I want to make movies," or "I want to tell stories?"

Don't cheat. If you had to choose between just making movies and just telling stories, which would it be?

Knowing thousands of filmmakers, I have a feeling that most would never give up the set. They love the sweat, pressure, art, camaraderie, adrenaline, thrill, and insanity of making movies. Creating the story on the blank page is secondary to making the story come to life, and that's fine. That's why you're filmmakers.

Sure, some would rather gouge out their eyes than make someone else's story, but most are just as happy to make any story – as long as it's good, or the pay is high.

So, filmmakers, don't feel like you must also be the story creator. You're a storyteller, for sure. No doubt about it, but you don't have to tell a story that you created. Better that you should find someone who has the same passion facing the blank page that you have facing an eager cast &amp; crew.

That someone might be a screenwriter, sure, but many screenwriters have the same answer to the "why did you get into this business?" question as you do. So many of them – even some very good ones – want to make movies more than they want to tell stories. If you ever do take a meeting with a screenwriter, tell them you're not going to make the movie, you're just going to publish their story. See how they react.

Novelists, on the other hand, are 100 percent pure storytellers. Their passion is what they've put on the page. Your turning it into a living, breathing thing is wonderful, mostly because it means more people will be exposed to their story. And, let's not lie, they'd also be into increased royalties, participation deals, etc.

But their passion is the page, not the stage.

Now to novelists:

Men and women of letters. There is no way around it, filmmaking - as both a business and an art - is a social endeavor. Film sets have been accurately compared to a royal court. Navigating them can be hazardous to your health.

Still, the best way to meet filmmakers is not when they are dressed nice, celebrating the premiere of their film at a festival, but when they are covered in blood, sweat, and tears while working as a Third Assistant Director on someone else's project.

Why? The filmmaker who has just premiered has two years of trying to sell that movie to the public before they can even think about their next film.

They also have a slew of people who have been pitching them like crazy, and they've burned all their favors on that first film. The second one will be ten times more difficult to launch.

Meanwhile, the hardworking crew of that film are owed some favors. If they want to step up to the plate as a producer/director, their chance is next. You just have to hope they didn't answer "to tell my stories," to the question of why they got into this business.

But how do you get on the set? How do you get to meet filmmakers when all they do is work on each other's projects and go to festivals?

That's easy. Every film needs people. From extras to PAs (Production Assistants), filmmaking is social because it takes so many people make them. And there's more good news.

Because of the availability of cheap, high-quality, digital cameras, you don't have to live in Los Angeles or New York to find a filmmaking community. Chances are, there is a filmmaking group in whatever town you live in.

Hit the internet, find them, and join up. If you do live in a filmmaking hub, and you can afford to take a low-paying job, sign up to be an extra. The pay is terrible for non-union (and the work isn't readily available for union), but you're usually fed well and it's a lot of fun.

But what do you do once you're on the set, or in a meeting of filmmakers at a group? First, don't try to be what you're not! The industry is full of those people.

Don't tell anyone you're a screenwriter. Everyone is a screenwriter. They need another screenwriter like the Sahara needs more sand.

Just tell the truth. You're a novelist. You don't know anything about filmmaking, but you'd like to meet some filmmakers to maybe talk about some projects. I think you'll find filmmakers think novelists are as mysterious as you think filmmakers are.

Okay, novelists have a way to meet filmmakers, but how do filmmakers meet novelists?
Filmmakers. Novelists write. They also read. If you're going to reach out to a novelist, you're going to need to read them.

But your buying all the best sellers and slogging your way through them until you find a writer you like is just like a novelist trying to network with a major filmmaker. The big novelists don't need your uber-indie eager help with their major works.

So what's the answer?

Short stories. Anthologies. You can get to know ten to fifteen authors reading an anthology in the time it takes to read one novel. And if you reach out to pretty much any author with, "I read your short story…" you will immediately have their attention.

Short stories are like short films. They are a labor of love. Sure, they might also be a way of testing out an idea, or just getting something done, but just like your short films, they are gems that you never forget.

I often call Elephant's Bookshelf Press the Sun Records of publishing. Just the way Sam Phillips discovered Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, etc. Matt Sinclair has published <a href="http://www.stevencarman.com/">Steven Carman</a>, <a href="http://rclewisbooks.com/books/">R.C. Lewis</a>, Robert K. Lewis (well, actually Don M. Vail), <a href="http://www.mindymcginnis.com/">Mindy McGinnis</a>, and many more.

Are they as big in the writing world as Sam's discoveries are in music? No. Not yet. If they were, you wouldn't be able to work with them. But they are just as talented.

Filmmakers, if you're looking for a story to tell, anthologies are a good place to start. <em>Roller Ball</em>, <em>Running Man</em>, <em>Stand By Me</em>, <em>Breakfast at Tiffany's</em>, <em>Brokeback Mountain</em>, <em>Children of the Corn</em>, and so many more feature films started life as short fiction. Fire up the Kindle app on your phone, download some anhologies, and get reading. EBP is a good place to start. When you find a writer you like, reach out. You never know what beautiful friendship might begin.

R.S. Mellette is the author of Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand and Billy Bobble and the Witch Hunt, both from Elephant's Bookshelf Press. He also has written several short stories that have appeared in EBP anthologies.

A Different Take on Book Launches

No two books are alike, and from what I can tell, book launches are often different.

The latest book from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press is unlike anything we’ve ever published before, and so is the launch. Which the Days Never Know: A year in Vietnam by the numbers is the first nonfiction book from EBP.

The name might imply that it’s a memoir, and in a sense that’s correct. But not quite. It contains memories from the author, Dr. Donald McNamara, who walked off his flight home from Vietnam on January 13, 1968; we published the paperback on the fiftieth anniversary of his return home. But the book conveys moments more than memories, impressions rather than intensity.

Which the Days Never Know does not set out to recount battles or delve deeply into personal matters – or even personnel matters. Instead, Don takes the approach of a workaday soldier.

Everything in the Army seemed to have a number, he said, so in his book Don marched through 365 days – the typical one-year term of service in Vietnam – number by number.

From a visual standpoint, he wanted the book to look like verse or poetry.

From a publishing standpoint, I knew right away that we were taking a risk. But I think it’s a risk worth taking.

In launching EBP’s nonfiction division, I wanted something that felt true to what the company has been aiming to accomplish – its mission, if you will. Unlike many EBP authors, Don is not unpublished; he has retired as a professor of literature and during his academic career wrote pieces on Irish language and literature in particular. He also has written countless journalistic pieces, which is how our paths crossed.

But EBP prides itself on helping authors share their voice and helping their stories find an audience.
As a bit of EBP trivia, Don helped me find the voice of my company, years before I knew I become a publisher. He taught me the phrase bionn gach tasu lag, which I used in the first paragraph of the introduction to Spring Fevers, EBP’s first book, back in 2012. For those who do not recall the intro – or might not be fluent in Irish – it means “every beginning is weak.”

And in a mirror image of Spring Fevers, I have decided to publish Which the Days Never Know first in paperback; Spring Fevers was originally planned as an ebook only.

Think of this as a soft launch.

In this age of electronic and independent publishing, we learn to stagger launches every few months – more often, if you’re able to write that quickly – and build up a team of eager early readers. These approaches can work. I haven’t done that with Which the Days Never Know.

As I said above, this is a very different book for EBP -- and for me. I’m not sure he’s aware, but Don has been a helpful mentor to me as I’ve grown as a journalist and author. Many EBP authors are people I’ve met maybe once or twice. Most of them I’ve never even spoken to on the phone. Don and I worked together years ago. We even shared office space.

Without a doubt, I aim to build the audience for Don’s book, but I also want to share with this audience. I want to share the book with readers who might be able to use it best; veterans’ organizations, for example. I suspect the paperback version will be better appreciated for those groups, though I’m sure many of those readers also enjoy building their ebook collections.

In fact, for readers who buy a copy of the paperback, I’ll provide them a free ebook version.

So, if you’d like to get a free copy of the ebook, send an email to matt@elephantsbookshelfpress and we’ll make that happen.

Falling Behind My Goals

All of a sudden a week has passed since my last post. Not only that, between a pair of heavily crowded trains on the home-bound commute, a book release that needed to be worked on, and simply being too tired on the way into the city to write, I have been running short of my personal writing goals of 500 words a day.

This is how I fall behind.

Indeed, the best laid plans often go awry. Heck, I barely have time to write this. And this blog post won't come close to 500 words.

Then why write the blog post? In part, because writers must write, despite what life throws in their face. But more importantly, I believe it's worthwhile to share with other writers that it's ok when we don't hit our goals. We get back up and try again. And again. And again.

If you're hitting all your goals so far on day 10 of 2018, I applaud you. I still have time in my day today, so I think I can reach my goal. And I'm aiming to kick butt tomorrow, too.

Writing 500 words a day

I was shocked. My brother, who isn’t really a writer, sent me an email inviting me to join him in a writing assignment. It was the 500-words-a-day group that Jeff Goins leads through his blog.

To be honest, even though I’m on Goins’ mailing list, I hadn’t noticed that email invitation. So, when it came from my brother, it carried more weight. And when Goins indicated his commitment included blogging, I realized it was just the kick in the pants I needed to start the year right. By writing!

Now, truth be told, I write 500 words a day nearly every day anyway. It’s what I do for a living, after all. But while I could use those words to weasel my way through to the finish line, the personal goal of writing that much was what really mattered most to my ambitions.

So, in addition to a blog and an article for work, on my way home I popped open one of the works-in-progress that I began last year and refreshed myself. I added a scene. Added some tension. Introduced a character. There’s still a lot of flesh to go on this skeleton, but there is more to the spine than there was twenty-four hours ago.

Then, some ideas came to me while I was in the shower this morning. More tension. And the story’s resolution came into view. It’s a children’s story – kind of a late birthday present for my daughters – but it’s also the beginning of a series. The inspiration to write was gelling into a marketable product!

You might say that an unexpected email from a trusted source resurrected the manuscript. But it’s more than that, really. What made it worth pursuing was that the goal was tangible and attainable. Five hundred words is essentially two pages. I know of writers who write thousands of pages a day. I’ve just hit 300 and I’ve only been typing about 20 minutes.

Of course, doing it day after day takes discipline. In my opinion, that’s a crucial ingredient to the recipe of a full-fledged writer and author. Call it discipline, call it consistency. Whatever you call it, it boils down to this: Writers write.

So, my writerly friends, it’s January 3^rd. What have you written today? I’m not going to criticize you if you haven’t written anything. I don’t know your schedule. But if you aim to reach your writing goals in 2018, there’s no time like the present to get into gear.

If my brother can do it, you can too.

Story sharing in 2018

Happy New Year!

I will share with you that, aside from the Eastern chill (another polar vortex?!), I do enjoy January. It brings out that sense of renewal in me and jump-starts my creativity, which can languish in the fall.

When you’re a writer, especially an independent writer, there’s always something that needs to be done. Update the website, post a blog, create a newsletter, test new ways of building your audience. And if you’re lucky (or better yet, disciplined) you work on a book or story.

I resolved in 2017 to write more. It worked. Sort of. I started two completely new books. You’ll notice, however, that neither of them were published. That’s because they’re not finished. And neither of them will be full-length novels.

What was I doing with my time all year? Well, mostly learning more about publishing. The business side of things. And I’ll apply more of what I learned in 2018. Indeed, I already have begun.

One of the things I resolve to do much more of in 2018 is communicate with you. After all, what are we writers if not communicators? From the time our bardic ancestors told tales around the campfire to today, when we offer up something more delectable than photos of our lunch on social media, we storytellers share our thoughts for consumption and pleasure.

Stories are nutritious. They feed our mind and our soul.

Audiences are nourishing. They provide feedback, which enables the storyteller to gain a better understanding of what the listener or reader expects.

And a good storyteller knows when to provide that and when to hold it back. We can be such teases!

So, let’s share a little. My little publishing company is five years old and, frankly, it needs to grow. So, this year I’m aiming to publish in ways we haven’t before. It will start with Which the Days Never Know, which is coming out soon. It’s a verse memoir by Vietnam veteran Don McNamara.

After that, I’m looking to box up the seasons series that were the inspiration of EBP. I’m in the works on an omnibus edition of short stories, which will be an electronic-only publication. Of course, if you’ve got Spring Fevers, The Fall, Summer’s Edge, Summer’s Double Edge, andWinter’s Regret already, then you’ll have no need for the omnibus edition. But there are some terrific stories in those collections that deserve to find a wider audience.

The next bit of newness on tap for 2018 is about voice. Not simply a writing voice, though that’s in the works, too, but the spoken voice. I’m beginning to record audio books and expect to roll out the first EBP audio book later this year. I’m very excited about it, but it’s a lot of work.

I also expect to publish at least one of those books I started writing in 2017.

Whew! It’s a workout just thinking about 2018, but I feel great. Like ending a morning jog in bracing January air.

So, what do you have in store for yourself? Will you be writing more? Publishing more? Reading more? All of the above, more?

Please share. And let’s keep sharing. Remember, we’re in this together.

And speaking about sharing, I want to share your accomplishments through my channels, too. That means interview opportunities, guest posting opportunities, and cover reveals. I’ll be happy to help you promote your books and help you find other books to read.

And products! Wow, has my publishing business been enhanced lately by certain products and tools!

So, let’s get started. I believe 2018 is going to be exciting, and stressful, and whimsical, and romantic. All the qualities we want in a book and in a year.

Welcome, 2018. Let’s see what we can do together!